Display panel, manufacturing method thereof and display device

ABSTRACT

A display panel, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device are provided. The display panel includes a display area and a frame area surrounding the display area, and includes an array substrate and a color filter substrate. The color filter substrate includes a substrate, first support structures in the display area and second support structures in the frame area; each first support structure includes a first main support part in contact with the array substrate and a first auxiliary support part having a first gap with the array substrate; each second support structure includes a second main support part in contact with the array substrate and a second auxiliary support part having a second gap with the array substrate; and a thickness of the first auxiliary support part is greater than a thickness of the second auxiliary support part.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/359,401, filed on Jun. 25, 2021, which claimspriority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202010900467.7, filed on Aug.31, 2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of display technology, inparticular to a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof and adisplay device.

BACKGROUND

A liquid crystal display (LCD) is formed by assembling an uppersubstrate and a lower substrate, a cell gap between the upper substrateand the lower substrate is filled with liquid crystal, and spacers arearranged between the upper substrate and the lower substrate to supportthe two substrates. Because a spacer in the display area of the liquidcrystal display and a spacer in the frame area surrounding the displayarea provide different support strengths (the support strength from thespacer in the display area is higher, and the support strength from thespacer in the frame area is lower), a seesaw effect is generated underthe influence of air pressure in the processes of vacuum assembly andcutting of the upper and lower substrates, which causes abnormal cellgap in the frame area, and leads to undesirable effects of the liquidcrystal display such as shining at four sides during low-grayscaledisplay.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provides a displaypanel, including a display area and a frame area surrounding the displayarea, wherein the display panel includes an array substrate and a colorfilter substrate that are assembled, the color filter substrate includesa substrate, and a plurality of first support structures and a pluralityof second support structures both disposed on a side of the substrateclose to the array substrate, the plurality of first support structuresare in the display area, and the plurality of second support structuresare in the frame area; at least a part of each of the plurality of firstsupport structures is in contact with the array substrate, and at leasta part of each of the plurality of second support structures is incontact with the array substrate.

In some embodiments, the color filter substrate further includes a firstfilm structure and a second film structure, the first film structure isin the display area and disposed between the substrate and the pluralityof first support structures; the second film structure is in the framearea and disposed between the substrate and the plurality of secondsupport structures;

the first film structure includes a first black matrix and a first colorresist layer, and the first black matrix and the first color resistlayer are sequentially stacked in a direction away from the substrate;

the second film structure includes a second black matrix and a secondcolor resist layer, and the second black matrix and the second colorresist layer are sequentially stacked in the direction away from thesubstrate; and

the first black matrix and the second black matrix are made of a samematerial and arranged in a same layer, and the first color resist layerand the second color resist layer are arranged in a same layer.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of first support structuresincludes a first main support part and a first auxiliary support part,and the first main support part and the first auxiliary support part areboth arranged on a surface of the first color resist layer away from thesubstrate;

the first main support part is in contact with a first surface layer ofthe array substrate, and the first auxiliary support part is opposite tothe first surface layer of the array substrate with a first gaptherebetween;

each of the plurality of second support structures includes a secondmain support part and a second auxiliary support part, and the secondmain support part and the second auxiliary support part are botharranged on a surface of the second color resist layer away from thesubstrate; and

the second main support part is in contact with a second surface layerof the array substrate, and the second auxiliary support part isopposite to the second surface layer of the array substrate with thefirst gap therebetween.

In some embodiments, the first black matrix and the second black matrixhave a same thickness, and a thickness of the second color resist layeris greater than a thickness of the first color resist layer.

In some embodiments, the first surface layer in contact with the firstmain support part and the second surface layer in contact with thesecond main support part have a same height.

In some embodiments, a difference between thicknesses of the first mainsupport part and the second main support part is equal to a differencebetween the thicknesses of the second color resist layer and the firstcolor resist layer.

In some embodiments, a difference between thicknesses of the firstauxiliary support part and the second auxiliary support part is equal tothe difference between the thicknesses of the second color resist layerand the first color resist layer.

In some embodiments, at least one of the second surface layersrespectively in contact with the plurality of second main support partshas a height greater than a height of the first surface layer in contactwith the first main support part.

In some embodiments, there is a first difference in height between theat least one of the second surface layers respectively in contact withthe plurality of second main support parts and the first surface layerin contact with the first main support part; a difference in thicknessbetween each second main support part in contact with one of the atleast one of the second surface layers and the first main support partis equal to a sum of a difference in thickness between the second colorresist layer and the first color resist layer and the first differencein height.

In some embodiments, a difference in thickness between each secondauxiliary support part opposite to one of the at least one of the secondsurface layers and the first auxiliary support part is equal to the sumof the difference in thickness between the second color resist layer andthe first color resist layer and the first difference in height.

In some embodiments, the height of each second surface layer in contactwith the second main support part is greater than the height of thefirst surface layer in contact with the first main support part.

In some embodiments, there is a first difference in height between thesecond surface layer in contact with the second main support part andthe first surface layer in contact with the first main support part; adifference in thickness between the second main support part and thefirst main support part is equal to a sum of a difference in thicknessbetween the second color resist layer and the first color resist layerand the first difference in height.

In some embodiments, a difference in thickness between the secondauxiliary support part and the first auxiliary support part is equal tothe sum of the difference in thickness between the second color resistlayer and the first color resist layer and the first difference inheight.

In some embodiments, the first main support parts and the second mainsupport parts have a same distribution density; and/or the firstauxiliary support parts and the second auxiliary support parts have asame distribution density.

In another aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide adisplay device, including any one of the display panels described above.

In another aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provides amanufacturing method of a display panel, the display panel including adisplay area and a frame area surrounding the display area, themanufacturing method includes manufacturing an array substrate and acolor filter substrate separately, and assembling the array substrateand the color filter substrate;

manufacturing the color filter substrate includes: forming a pluralityof first support structures and a plurality of second support structureson a substrate, wherein the plurality of first support structures andthe plurality of second support structures are formed on a side of thesubstrate close to the array substrate; the plurality of first supportstructures are located in the display area, and the plurality of secondsupport structures are located in the frame area; at least a part ofeach of the plurality of first support structures is in contact with thearray substrate, and at least a part of each of the plurality of secondsupport structures is in contact with the array substrate.

In some embodiments, manufacturing the color filter substrate furtherincludes forming a first film structure and a second film structure,wherein the first film structure is located in the display area and isformed on the substrate before the plurality of first support structuresare formed; the second film structure is located in the frame area andis formed on the substrate before the plurality of second supportstructures are formed;

forming the first film structure includes sequentially forming a firstblack matrix and a first color resist layer on the substrate, whereinthe first black matrix and the first color resist layer are sequentiallystacked in a direction away from the substrate;

forming the second film structure includes sequentially forming a secondblack matrix and a second color resist layer on the substrate, whereinthe second black matrix and the second color resist layer aresequentially stacked in the direction away from the substrate;

the first black matrix and the second black matrix are formed by onephotolithography process; color resists of a same color in the firstcolor resist layer and the second color resist layer are formed by asame coating process; a thickness of the second color resist layer isgreater than a thickness of the first color resist layer.

In some embodiments, forming the plurality of first support structuresincludes forming a plurality of first main support parts and a pluralityof first auxiliary support parts; the plurality of first main supportparts and the plurality of first auxiliary support parts are arranged ona surface of the first color resist layer away from the substrate;

each of the plurality of first main support parts is in contact with afirst surface layer of the array substrate, and each of the plurality offirst auxiliary support parts is opposite to the first surface layer ofthe array substrate with a first gap therebetween;

forming the plurality of second support structures includes forming aplurality of second main support parts and a plurality of secondauxiliary support parts; the plurality of second main support parts andthe plurality of second auxiliary support parts are arranged on asurface of the second color resist layer away from the substrate; and

each of the plurality of second main support parts is in contact with asecond surface layer of the array substrate, and each of the pluralityof second auxiliary support parts is opposite to the second surfacelayer of the array substrate with the first gap therebetween.

In some embodiments, the plurality of first main support parts, theplurality of first auxiliary support parts, the plurality of second mainsupport parts, and the plurality of second auxiliary support parts areformed through one exposure process using a half-tone mask.

In some embodiments, the display panel further includes a to-be-cutarea, the to-be-cut area is on a side of the frame area away from thedisplay area, and is located on at least one side of the display panel;manufacturing the color filter substrate further includes: sequentiallyforming a third film structure and a third auxiliary support part on thesubstrate, wherein the third film structure and the third auxiliarysupport part are located in the to-be-cut area, and forming the thirdfilm structure includes sequentially forming a third black matrix and athird color resist layer on the substrate, the third black matrix andthe third color resist layer being stacked in a direction away from thesubstrate, the method further includes, after the array substrate andthe color filter substrate are assembled, removing the to-be-cut area onthe color filter substrate by cutting, and keeping the to-be-cut area onthe array substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure of a displaypanel in the related art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a seesaw effect that occursin a process of vacuum assembly or cutting of the color filter substrateand the array substrate in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 a is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure of a displaypanel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 b is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure of thedisplay panel in FIG. 3 a after a to-be-cut area on a color filtersubstrate is cut;

FIG. 4 a is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure of anotherdisplay panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 b is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure of thedisplay panel in FIG. 4 a after a to-be-cut area on a color filtersubstrate is cut;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating distribution of first supportstructures in a display area according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating distribution of secondsupport structures in a frame area according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a variation of a cell gapbetween a color filter substrate and an array substrate in each ofupper, lower, left, and right edge regions of a conventional LCD panel;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a difference between a maximum valueand a minimum value of the cell gap between the color filter substrateand the array substrate in each of upper, lower, left, and right edgeregions of the conventional LCD panel;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a variation of a cell gapbetween a color filter substrate and an array substrate in each ofupper, lower, left, and right edge regions of a display panel accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a difference between a maximum valueand a minimum value of the cell gap between the color filter substrateand the array substrate in each of upper, lower, left, and right edgeregions of the display panel according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to make those skilled in the art better understand thetechnical solutions of the present disclosure, a display panel and amanufacturing method thereof, and a display device according to thepresent disclosure are described in detail below with reference to theaccompanying drawings and the specific embodiments.

A liquid crystal display panel is formed by assembling a color filtersubstrate and an array substrate, and liquid crystal is filled in a cellgap between the color filter substrate and the array substrate. Spacersare disposed between the color filter substrate and the array substrateto support the two substrates that are assembled. The display panel hasa good display effect under the condition that the cell gap between thecolor filter substrate and the array substrate is uniform, and displaydefects of the display panel may occur when the cell gap between thecolor filter substrate and the array substrate is not uniform. Forexample, when the cell gap in the display area of the display panel andthe cell gap in the peripheral frame area of the display panel are notuniform, the display panel may have a shiny phenomenon at the peripheralframe area when displaying a low-grayscale picture, and this problem ismore serious for a liquid crystal display product with a larger framearea. As shown in FIG. 1 , a conventional liquid crystal display panelincludes a display area 101 and a frame area 102 surrounding the displayarea 101. The display area is used for displaying pictures, and theframe area is used for arranging driving circuits (e.g., a sourcedriving circuit, a gate driving circuit, etc.) and wiring. In thedisplay area 101, the color filter substrate 9 includes a first blackmatrix 211, a first color resist layer 601 disposed on the first blackmatrix 211, and a main spacer 11 and an auxiliary spacer 12 disposed onthe first color resist layer 601. In the frame area 102, the colorfilter substrate 9 includes a second black matrix 212 and a main spacer11 disposed on the second black matrix 212, or includes a second blackmatrix 212, a second color resist layer 602 disposed on the second blackmatrix 212, and an auxiliary spacer 12 disposed on the second colorresist layer 602. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1 , in the frame area102, a portion of the color filter substrate 9 away from the displayarea 101 includes a second black matrix 212 and a main spacer 11disposed on the second black matrix 212, and a portion of the colorfilter substrate 9 close to the display area 101 includes the secondblack matrix 212, a second color resist layer 602 disposed on the secondblack matrix 212, and an auxiliary spacer 12 disposed on the secondcolor resist layer 602. Because part of the frame area 102 is notprovided with a color resist layer and/or is provided with only theauxiliary spacer 12, the spacer in the frame area 102 is farther awayfrom the array substrate 13, and the spacer cannot contact with thearray substrate 13, so that the support from the spacer in the framearea 102 to the two substrates is weaker than that from the spacer inthe display area 101. Therefore, when the color filter substrate 9 andthe array substrate 13 are vacuum-assembled and a liquid crystal displaypanel is cut from a mother substrate, a seesaw effect is likely to occurto the display panel, so that there is a difference between a cell gap hin the display area 101 and a cell gap h′ in the frame area 102, asshown in FIG. 2 , which causes poor image display.

In view of the problem of poor display of the liquid crystal displaypanel caused by uneven cell gap, embodiments of the present disclosureprovide a display panel, as shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b , including adisplay area 101 and a frame area 102 surrounding the display area 101.The display panel includes an array substrate 13 and a color filtersubstrate 9, the array substrate 13 and the color filter substrate 9 arearranged opposite to each other, the color filter substrate 9 includes asubstrate 1 and a plurality of first support structures 3 and aplurality of second support structures 5 arranged on a side of thesubstrate 1 close to the array substrate 13, the plurality of firstsupport structures 3 are located in the display area 101, and theplurality of second support structures 5 are located in the frame area102; at least a part of each of the plurality of first supportstructures 3 is in contact with the array substrate 13, and at least apart of each of the plurality of second support structures 5 is incontact with the array substrate 13.

The color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 are disposedopposite to each other, and at least a cell gap in the display area 101is filled with liquid crystal, so as to realize a display function ofthe liquid crystal display panel. The plurality of first supportstructures 3 can provide support to the color filter substrate 9 and thearray substrate 13 in the display area 101; the plurality of secondsupport structures 5 can provide support to the color filter substrate 9and the array substrate 13 in the frame area 102. The first supportstructure 3 generally includes a main support structure in contact withthe array substrate 13 and an auxiliary support structure not in contactwith the array substrate 13; at least a part of each first supportstructure 3 in contact with the array substrate 13 refers to the mainsupport structure. Similarly, the second support structure 5 generallyincludes a main support structure in contact with the array substrate 13and an auxiliary support structure not in contact with the arraysubstrate 13; at least a part of each second support structure 5 incontact with the array substrate 13 refers to as the main supportstructure.

By making at least a part of the second support structure 5 contact withthe array substrate 13, the support from the second support structure 5to the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 in the framearea 102 is basically consistent with the support from the first supportstructure 3 to the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13in the display area 101, so that a seesaw effect generated during thevacuum assembly and cutting of the color filter substrate 9 and thearray substrate 13 is alleviated or avoided, the influence caused by adifference in cell gap between the display area 101 and the frame area102 of the display panel is reduced or avoided, the display defect ofthe display panel is further alleviated or avoided, and the displayeffect of the display panel is improved.

In some embodiments, the color filter substrate 9 further includes afirst film structure 2 and a second film structure 4, the first filmstructure 2 is located in the display area 101, and the first filmstructure 2 is disposed between the substrate 1 and the first supportstructures 3; the second film structure 4 is located in the frame area102, and the second film structure 4 is disposed between the substrate 1and the second support structures 5. The first film structure 2 includesa first black matrix 211 and a first color resist layer 601, and thefirst black matrix 211 and the first color resist layer 601 aresequentially stacked in a direction away from the substrate 1; thesecond film structure 4 includes a second black matrix 212 and a secondcolor resist layer 602, and the second black matrix 212 and the secondcolor resist layer 602 are sequentially stacked in the direction awayfrom the substrate 1. The first black matrix 211 and the second blackmatrix 212 are made of the same material and are arranged in a samelayer, and the second color resist layer 602 and the first color resistlayer 601 are arranged in a same layer.

It should be noted that the expression “A and B are arranged in a samelayer” in the present disclosure means that A and B may be formedsimultaneously by one patterning process, or A and B are located atsubstantially the same level.

In some embodiments, the first support structure 3 includes a first mainsupport part 31 and a first auxiliary support part 32, and both thefirst main support part 31 and the first auxiliary support part 32 aredisposed on a surface of the first color resist layer 601 facing awayfrom the substrate 1; the first main support part 31 is in contact witha first surface layer 131 of the array substrate 13, and the firstauxiliary support part 32 and the first surface layer 131 of the arraysubstrate 13 are opposite to each other with a first gap therebetween(the first auxiliary support part 32 is not in contact with the firstsurface layer 131). The second support structure 5 includes a secondmain support part 51 and a second auxiliary support part 52, and thesecond main support part 51 and the second auxiliary support part 52 areboth disposed on a surface of the second color resist layer 602 facingaway from the substrate 1; the second main support part 51 is in contactwith a second surface layer 132 of the array substrate 13, and thesecond auxiliary support part 52 and the second surface layer 132 of thearray substrate 13 are opposite to each other with a second gaptherebetween (the second auxiliary support part 52 is not in contactwith the second surface layer 132). The first surface layer 131 is afunctional layer that is disposed in the display area 101 of the arraysubstrate 13 and is closest to the color filter substrate 9 (i.e., anuppermost functional layer in a direction perpendicular to the arraysubstrate 13 and pointing from the array substrate 13 to the colorfilter substrate 9); the second surface layer 132 is a functional layerdisposed in the frame area 102 of the array substrate 13 and closest tothe color filter substrate 9 (i.e., an uppermost functional layer in thedirection perpendicular to the array substrate 13 and pointing from thearray substrate 13 to the color filter substrate 9). In this case, thefirst auxiliary support part 32 provide an auxiliary support to thecolor filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 in the display area101, and the second auxiliary support part 52 provides an auxiliarysupport to the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 inthe frame area 102. With the arrangement that the first gap is betweenthe first auxiliary support part 32 and the array substrate 13, thesecond gap is between the second auxiliary support part 52 and the arraysubstrate 13, and the first main support part 31 and the second mainsupport part 51 are respectively in contact with the array substrate 13,it can be ensured that the support structures in the display area 101and the frame area 102 are basically the same, so as to alleviate oravoid a seesaw effect occurring in the case of vacuum assembly andcutting of the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13, andreduce or eliminate the influence caused by a difference between thecell gap between the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13in the display area 101 and the cell gap between the color filtersubstrate 9 and the array substrate 13 in the frame area 102.

It can be understood that a plurality of first main support parts 31, aplurality of first auxiliary support parts 32, a plurality of secondmain support parts 51, and a plurality of second auxiliary support parts52 are provided.

When the array substrate 13 and the color filter substrate 9 areassembled and no external force is applied, only the first main supportpart 31 and the second main support part 51 are in contact with thearray substrate 13, so as to achieve the supporting function, and thefirst auxiliary support part 32 and the second auxiliary support part 52are not in contact with the array substrate 13. The first main supportpart 31, the first auxiliary support part 32, the second main supportpart 51, and the second auxiliary support part 52 are all made of anelastic material, and when the first main support part 31 and the secondmain support part 51 are compressed to a certain degree, the firstauxiliary support part 32 and the second auxiliary support part 52 maycome into contact with the array substrate 13, thereby achieving anauxiliary supporting function. Therefore, the first and second auxiliarysupport parts 32 and 52 serve to provide auxiliary support when the cellgap becomes small or a certain external pressure is applied. Of course,the applied external force is limited, otherwise the support part beingelastically deformed may not be restored. Generally, the difference inthickness between the first main support part 31 and the first auxiliarysupport part 32, and the difference in thickness between the second mainsupport part 51 and the second auxiliary support part 52 may be setaccording to the actual requirement of the product, and is generallyfrom 0.45 μm to 0.55 μm.

In some embodiments, the first black matrix 211 has the same thicknessas the second black matrix 212.

In some embodiments, the thickness of the second color resist layer 602is greater than the thickness of the first color resist layer 601.

In some embodiments, the first surface layer 131 in contact with thefirst main support part 31 and the second surface layer 132 in contactwith the second main support part 51 have the same height. The height ofthe first surface layer 131 is defined as a distance from a surface ofthe first surface layer 131 close to the color filter substrate 9 to asurface of the substrate 130 of the array substrate 13 close to thecolor filter substrate 9; the height of the second surface layer 132 isdefined as a distance from a surface of the second surface layer 132close to the color filter substrate 9 to the surface of the substrate130 of the array substrate 13 close to the color filter substrate 9.

It can be understood that, in a case where the first black matrix 211and the second black matrix 212 have the same thickness, the secondcolor resist layer 602 has a thickness greater than that of the firstcolor resist layer 601, the first surface layer 131 in contact with thefirst main support part 31 and the second surface layer 132 in contactwith the second main support part 51 have the same height, and thethickness of the second main support part 51 is smaller than that of thefirst main support part 31. In some embodiments, the thickness of thesecond auxiliary support part 52 is smaller than the thickness of thefirst auxiliary support part 32.

In some embodiments, a same coating process may be used to form colorresists of one color of the first color resist layer 601 and the secondcolor resist layer 602. When a same coating process is used in theprocess of forming the first color resist layer 601 and the second colorresist layer 602, since the frame area 102 needs to be completelycovered by the second black matrix 212, the second black matrix 212 inthe frame area 102 is in a whole surface shape (i.e., formed throughoutthe entire frame area 102), and the first black matrix 211 in thedisplay area 101 only needs to cover the wiring area around a sub-pixel,so the first black matrix 211 of the display area 101 is in a matrixshape, and the black matrix in the whole surface shape and the blackmatrix in the matrix shape cause a difference in fluidity between thecolor resist layers in the frame area 102 and the display area 101,resulting in that the color resist layer in the frame area 102 isthicker than the color resist layer of the display area 101. Therefore,the thickness of the color resist layer in contact with the secondsupport structure 5 is larger than the thickness of the color resistlayer in contact with the first support structure 3. By making thethickness of the second main support part 51 smaller than the thicknessof the first main support part 31 and the thickness of the secondauxiliary support part 52 smaller than the thickness of the firstauxiliary support part 32, the difference in thickness between thesecond color resist layer 602 and the first color resist layer 601 canbe partially or completely compensated for, so that the differencebetween the sum of the thicknesses of the first black matrix 211, thefirst color resist layer 601 and the first main support part 31 in thedisplay area 101 and the sum of the thicknesses of the second blackmatrix 212, the second color resist layer 602 and the second mainsupport part 51 in the frame area 102 is reduced, the seesaw effectgenerated in the vacuum assembly and cutting of the color filtersubstrate 9 and the array substrate 13 is further reduced, and theinfluence caused by the difference in cell gap between the display area101 and the frame area 102 of the color filter substrate 9 and the arraysubstrate 13 that are assembled is reduced.

Further, in some embodiments, the difference in thickness between thefirst main support part 31 and the second main support part 51 is equalto the difference in thickness between the second color resist layer 602and the first color resist layer 601. With this arrangement, thedifference in thickness between the second color resist layer 602 andthe first color resist layer 601 can be completely compensated for, sothat the support from the second main support part 51 to the colorfilter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 in the frame area 102 canbe substantially the same as the support from the first main supportpart 31 to the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 inthe display area 101. In this case, the sum of the thicknesses of thefirst black matrix 211, the first color resist layer 601 and the firstmain support part 31 in the display area 101 is the same as the sum ofthe thicknesses of the second black matrix 212, the second color resistlayer 602 and the second main support part 51 in the frame area 102, sothat both the first main support part 31 and the second main supportpart 51 can be in contact with the array substrate 13, therebyalleviating or avoiding the seesaw effect occurring in the vacuumassembly and cutting of the color filter substrate 9 and the arraysubstrate 13, and eliminating an influence of the difference in cell gapbetween the display area 101 and the frame area 102 of the color filtersubstrate 9 and the array substrate 13 that are assembled.

In some embodiments, the difference in thickness between the firstauxiliary support part 32 and the second auxiliary support part 52 isequal to the difference in thickness between the second color resistlayer 602 and the first color resist layer 601. With this arrangement,the difference in thickness between the second color resist layer 602and the first color resist layer 601 can be completely compensated for,so that the support of the second auxiliary support part 52 to the colorfilter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 in the frame area 102 iskept the same as the support of the first auxiliary support part 32 tothe color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 in the displayarea 101, thereby reducing or avoiding the seesaw effect occurring inthe vacuum assembly and cutting of the color filter substrate 9 and thearray substrate 13, and eliminating an influence caused by a differencein cell gap between the display area 101 and the frame area 102 of thecolor filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 that are assembled.

The difference in thickness between the second color resist layer 602and the first color resist layer 601 may vary according to the size ofthe display panel. The size of the display panel may refer to the lengthof a diagonal line of the display area of the display panel. Forexample: when the size of the display panel is 21.5 inches, thedifference in thickness between the second color resist layer 602 andthe first color resist layer 601 may be 0.31 μm; when the size of thedisplay panel is 22 inches, the difference in thickness between thesecond color resist layer 602 and the first color resist layer 601 maybe 0.24 μm; when the size of the display panel is 23.6 inches, thedifference in thickness between the second color resist layer 602 andthe first color resist layer 601 may be 0.25 μm. It can be understoodthat the difference in thickness between the second color resist layer602 and the first color resist layer 601 may not be limited to the aboveexamples, and may be obtained by actual measurements.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the plurality of firstmain support parts 31 and the plurality of second main support parts 51have the same distribution. The plurality of first auxiliary supportparts 32 are distributed in the same manner as the plurality of secondauxiliary support parts 52. That is, the distribution density of thefirst support structures 3 in the display area 101 is the same as thedistribution density of the second support structures 5 in the framearea 102, and with this arrangement, the supporting strength of thesecond support structures 5 to the color filter substrate 9 and thearray substrate 13 in the frame area 102 is substantially the same asthe supporting strength of the first support structures 3 to the colorfilter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 in the display area 101,thereby reducing or avoiding the seesaw effect occurring in the vacuumassembly and cutting of the color filter substrate 9 and the arraysubstrate 13, and reducing or eliminating an influence caused by adifference in cell gap between the display area 101 and the frame area102 of the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 that areassembled.

In some embodiments, the substrate 1 further includes a to-be-cut area103, the to-be-cut area 103 is disposed on a side of the frame area 102away from the display area 101, and the to-be-cut area 103 is located onat least one side of the display panel. The color filter substrate 9further includes a third film structure 7 and a third auxiliary supportpart 8 that are arranged in the to-be-cut area 103, and the third filmstructure 7 and the third auxiliary support part 8 are sequentiallystacked on the substrate 1. The third film structure 7 includes a thirdblack matrix 213 and a third color resist layer 603, and the third blackmatrix 213 and the third color resist layer 603 are sequentially stackedin the direction away from the substrate 1. The third black matrix 213and the first black matrix 211 are made of the same material andarranged in a same layer, and the third black matrix 213 and the firstblack matrix 211 have the same thickness. The third color resist layer603 is arranged in the same layer as the first color resist layer 601.In some embodiments, the array substrate 13 further includes a thirdsurface layer 133 opposite to the third auxiliary support part 8, andthe third auxiliary support 8 is not in contact with the third surfacelayer 133. In some embodiments, the third color resist layer 603 has thesame thickness as the first color resist layer 601, and the thirdauxiliary support part 8 has the same thickness as the first auxiliarysupport part 32. The to-be-cut area 103 of the color filter substrate 9is removed by cutting after the color filter substrate 9 and the arraysubstrate 13 are assembled, so as to expose the bonding area on thearray substrate 13. With this arrangement, a seesaw effect occurring inthe case of vacuum assembly and cutting of the color filter substrate 9and the array substrate 13 can be alleviated or avoided, display defectsof the display panel are further alleviated or avoided, and the displayeffect of the display panel is improved. The liquid crystal displaypanel with the to-be-cut area 103 removed is as shown in FIG. 3 b.

For a conventional liquid crystal display panel, variations of the cellgaps between the color filter substrate and the array substrate in theupper, lower, left, and right edge regions of the liquid crystal displaypanel are large, as shown in FIG. 7 (in which cell gaps at positions,along a direction extending from a boundary between the to-be-cut area103 and the frame area 102 to the display area 101, in each of theupper, lower, left, and right edge regions of the liquid crystal displaypanel are shown); the difference between the maximum value and theminimum value of the cell gap between the color filter substrate and thearray substrate in each of the upper, lower, left, and right edgeregions of the liquid crystal display panel is large, as shown in FIG. 8. According to the liquid crystal display panel of the embodiments ofthe present disclosure, the variation of the cell gap between the colorfilter substrate and the array substrate in each of the upper, lower,left, and right edge regions of the liquid crystal display panel (in theframe area 102 of the liquid crystal display panel) is reduced, as shownin FIG. 9 (in which cell gaps at positions, along a direction extendingfrom a boundary between the to-be-cut area 103 and the frame area 102 tothe display area 101, in each of the upper, lower, left, and right edgeregions of the liquid crystal display panel are shown); the differencebetween the maximum value and the minimum value of the cell gap betweenthe color filter substrate and the array substrate in each of the upper,lower, left, and right edge regions of the liquid crystal display panelis significantly reduced, as shown in FIG. 10 .

In another aspect, the embodiments also provide a manufacturing methodof a display panel, the display panel is the display panel provided bythe embodiments of the present disclosure and includes a display areaand a frame area surrounding the display area, and the manufacturingmethod includes manufacturing an array substrate and a color filtersubstrate separately; and assembling the array substrate and the colorfilter substrate. Manufacturing the color filter substrate includesforming a first support structure and a second support structure on asubstrate, the first support structure and the second support structurebeing formed on a side of the substrate close to the array substrate;the first support structure is positioned in the display area, and thesecond support structure is positioned in the frame area; at least apart of the first support structure is in contact with the arraysubstrate, and at least a part of the second support structure is incontact with the array substrate.

According to the manufacturing method of the color filter substrate, bymaking at least a part of the second support structure contact with thearray substrate, the support from the second support structure to thecolor filter substrate and the array substrate in the frame area isbasically consistent with the support from the first support structureto the color filter substrate and the array substrate in the displayarea, so that a seesaw effect generated during the vacuum assembly andcutting of the color filter substrate and the array substrate isalleviated or avoided, the influence caused by a difference in cell gapbetween the display area and the frame area of the color filtersubstrate and the array substrate that are assembled is reduced oravoided, and the display defect of the display panel is furtheralleviated or avoided; furthermore, steps of the manufacturing processof the display panel are not additionally increased, and themanufacturing process of the display panel is simplified.

In some embodiments, manufacturing the color filter substrate furtherincludes forming a first film structure and a second film structure, thefirst film structure being located in the display area, and the firstfilm structure being formed on the substrate before the first supportstructure is formed; the second film structure being located in theframe area, and the second film structure being formed on the substratebefore the second support structure is formed. Forming the first filmstructure includes sequentially forming a first black matrix and a firstcolor resist layer on the substrate, the first black matrix and thefirst color resist layer being sequentially stacked in a direction awayfrom the substrate. Forming the second film structure includessequentially forming a second black matrix and a second color resistlayer on the substrate, the second black matrix and the second colorresist layer being sequentially stacked in the direction away from thesubstrate. The first black matrix and the second black matrix may beformed by a same photolithography process. A same coating process may beadopted to form color resists of a same color of the first color resistlayer and the second color resist layer, and in this case, the thicknessof the formed second color resist layer is larger than the thickness ofthe formed first color resist layer.

In some embodiments, forming the first support structure includesforming a first main support part and a first auxiliary support part;the first main support part and the first auxiliary support part areboth arranged on a surface of the first color resist layer away from thesubstrate; the first main support part is in contact with a firstsurface layer of the array substrate, and the first auxiliary supportpart is opposite to the first surface layer of the array substrate witha first gap therebetween. Forming the second support structure includesforming a second main support part and a second auxiliary support part;the second main support part and the second auxiliary support part areboth arranged on a surface of the second color resist layer away fromthe substrate; the second main support part is in contact with a secondsurface layer of the array substrate, and the second auxiliary supportpart is opposite to the second surface layer of the array substrate withthe first gap therebetween. The first main support part, the firstauxiliary support part, the second main support part, and the secondauxiliary support part may be formed through a single exposure processusing a half-tone mask.

In some embodiments, to compensate for the difference between thethickness of the color resist layer in the display area and thethickness of the color resist layer in the frame area, the second mainsupport part in the frame area has a different thickness from the firstmain support part in the display area, and the second auxiliary supportpart in the frame area has a different thickness from the firstauxiliary support part in the display area. When the first supportstructure and the second support structure are formed, the difference inthickness between the first support structure and the second supportstructure is achieved by controlling the transmittance of exposure lightusing a half-tone mask, and finally the support of the second supportstructure to the color filter substrate and the array substrate in theframe area and the support of the first support structure to the colorfilter substrate and the array substrate in the display area arebasically consistent. Therefore, a seesaw effect occurring in the caseof vacuum assembly and cutting of the color filter substrate and thearray substrate can be alleviated or avoided, the influence caused bythe difference in cell gap between the display area and the frame areaof the color filter substrate and the array substrate that are assembledis reduced or avoided, display defects of the display panel are furtheralleviated or avoided, and the display effect of the display panel isimproved.

It should be noted that the second support structure and the firstsupport structure may also be formed by multiple exposure processes,which are not described herein.

In some embodiments, after the array substrate and the color filtersubstrate are assembled, the manufacturing method of the display panelfurther includes cutting and removing the to-be-cut area on the colorfilter substrate, and reserving the to-be-cut area on the arraysubstrate. When the to-be-cut area on the color filter substrate is cut,the to-be-cut area is cut along the boundary line between the to-be-cutarea and the frame area, so that the bonding area on the array substrateis exposed.

The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a displaypanel. As shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b , the thicknesses of the firstblack matrix 211 and the second black matrix 212 are the same, and thethickness of the second color resist layer 602 is greater than that ofthe first color resist layer 601. In some embodiments, at least onesecond surface layer 132 in contact with the second main support part 51(e.g., the second surface layer 132, which is farthest from the displayarea 101, in the frame area 102) in the frame area 102 has a heightgreater than the height of the first surface layer 131 in contact withthe first main support part 31 in the display area 101. In this case,there is a first difference in height between each of the at least onesecond surface layer 132 in contact with the second main support part 51and the first surface layer 131 in contact with the first main supportpart 31. The second main support part 51 in contact with each of the atleast one second surface layer 132 has a height less than the height ofthe first main support part 31. In addition, the second auxiliarysupport part 52 opposite to each of the at least one second surfacelayer 132 may have a height less than that of the first auxiliarysupport part 32. With this arrangement, the first difference in heightand the difference in thickness between the second color resist layer602 and the first color resist layer 601 can be partially or completelycompensated for, a seesaw effect occurring in the case of vacuumassembly and cutting of the color filter substrate 9 and the arraysubstrate 13 is alleviated or avoided, the influence caused by thedifference in cell gap between the display area 101 and the frame area102 of the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 that areassembled is avoided, display defects of the display panel are furtheralleviated or avoided, and the display effect of the display panel isimproved.

In some embodiments, the difference in thickness between the second mainsupport part 51 in contact with each of the at least one second surfacelayer 132 and the first main support part 31 is equal to the sum of thedifference in thickness between the second color resist layer 602 andthe first color resist layer 601 and the first difference in height. Inaddition, the difference in thickness between the second auxiliarysupport part 52 opposite to each of the at least one second surfacelayer 132 and the first auxiliary support part 32 may be equal to thesum of the difference in thickness between the second color resist layer602 and the first color resist layer 601 and the first difference inheight. With this arrangement, the first difference in height and thedifference in thickness between the second color resist layer 602 andthe first color resist layer 601 can be completely compensated for, sothat it is ensured the cell gaps between the display area 101 and theframe area 102 of the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate13 that are assembled are consistent, a seesaw effect occurring in thecase of vacuum assembly and cutting of the color filter substrate 9 andthe array substrate 13 is further avoided, and an influence caused bythe difference in cell gap between the display area 101 and the framearea 102 of the color filter substrate 9 and the array substrate 13 thatare assembled is eliminated.

Other structures of the display panel in the embodiment are the same asthose in the above embodiments, and are not described herein again.

FIG. 4 shows only a case where only some of the second surface layers132 in the frame area 102 have a thickness greater than the thickness ofthe first surface layer 131 in the display area 101, and the othersecond surface layer(s) 132 have(has) a thickness equal to the thicknessof the first surface layer 131 in the display area 101, but the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto, and the height of each second surfacelayer 132 in the frame area 102 may be greater than the thickness of thefirst surface layer 131 in the display area 101. In this case, theheight of each second surface layer 132 in the frame area 102 may be thesame. Of course, it can be understood that the first surface layers 131in the display area 101 may have the same thickness.

According to the above-described structure of the display panel, theembodiments further provide a method for manufacturing a display panel,which is substantially the same as the method for manufacturing thedisplay panel in the foregoing embodiments; in order to compensate forthe difference in thickness between the color resist layer in thedisplay area and the color resist layer in the frame area and thedifference in height between the film layers on the array substrate,which are in contact with or corresponds to the first support structureand the second support structure, respectively, there is a stepdifference between the second main support part in the frame area andthe first main support part in the display area, and there is a stepdifference between the second auxiliary support part in the frame areaand the first auxiliary support part in the display area. When the firstsupport structure and the second support structure are formed, thetransmittance of exposure light is controlled by adopting a half-tonemask to realize the step difference between the first support structureand the second support structure, and finally the support of the secondsupport structure to the color filter substrate and the array substratein the frame area and the support of the first support structure to thecolor filter substrate and the array substrate in the display area aresubstantially consistent, so that a seesaw effect occurring in the caseof the vacuum assembly and cutting of the color filter substrate and thearray substrate is alleviated or avoided, the influence caused by thedifference in cell gap between the display area and the frame area ofthe color filter substrate and the array substrate that are assembled isreduced or eliminated, display defects of the display panel are reducedor avoided, and the display effect of the display panel is improved.

The manufacturing process of the display panel in the embodiment is notdescribed in detail.

According to the display panel provided by the embodiments of thepresent disclosure, by making at least a part of the second supportstructure contact with the array substrate, the supporting condition ofthe second support structure on the color filter substrate and the arraysubstrate in the frame area is basically consistent with the supportingcondition of the first support structure on the color filter substrateand the array substrate in the display area, so that a seesaw effectgenerated during the vacuum assembly and cutting of the color filtersubstrate and the array substrate is alleviated or avoided, theinfluence caused by a difference in cell gap between the display areaand the frame area of the color filter substrate and the array substratethat are assembled is reduced or avoided, the display defect of thedisplay panel is further alleviated or avoided, and the display effectof the display panel is improved.

It can be understood that although there is a difference in thicknessbetween the first color resist layer 601 in the display area 101 and thesecond color resist layer 602 in the frame area 102 in some embodimentsof the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto. It is only required that both the first main support part 31and the second main support part 51 are in contact with the arraysubstrate 13 (the first surface layer 131 or the second surface layer132), for example, the sum of the thicknesses of the first black matrix211, the first color resist layer 601, the first main support part 31,and the first surface layer 131 in the display area 101 is substantiallyequal to the sum of the thicknesses of the second black matrix 212, thesecond color resist layer 602, the second main support part 51, and thesecond surface layer 132 in the frame area 102.

Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a display device,including the display panel in any of the above embodiments.

By adopting the display panel in the above embodiments, a seesaw effectoccurring during the vacuum assembly and cutting of the display devicecan be alleviated or avoided, the influence caused by a difference incell gap between the display area and the frame area of the displaydevice is reduced or avoided, the display defect of the display deviceis alleviated or avoided, and the display effect of the display panel isimproved.

The display device according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be any product or component with a display function, suchas an LCD panel, an LCD television, a display, a mobile phone, anavigator or the like.

It could be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplaryembodiments adopted to illustrate the principles of the presentdisclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For thoseof ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements canbe made without departing from the spirit and essence of the presentdisclosure, and these modifications and improvements are also deemed tobe within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display panel, comprising a display area and aframe area surrounding the display area, wherein the display panelcomprises an array substrate and a color filter substrate opposite toeach other, the color filter substrate comprises a substrate and aplurality of first support structures and a plurality of second supportstructures both disposed on a side of the substrate close to the arraysubstrate, the plurality of first support structures are in the displayarea, and the plurality of second support structures are in the framearea; each of the plurality of first support structures comprises afirst main support part and a first auxiliary support part, the firstmain support part is in contact with the array substrate, and there is afirst gap between the first auxiliary support part and the arraysubstrate; each of the plurality of second support structures comprisesa second main support part and a second auxiliary support part, thesecond main support part is in contact with the array substrate, andthere is a second gap between the second auxiliary support part and thearray substrate; and a thickness of the first auxiliary support part isgreater than a thickness of the second auxiliary support part.
 2. Thedisplay panel of claim 1, wherein a difference in thickness between thefirst main support part and the first auxiliary support part ranges from0.45 μm to 0.55 μm; and a difference in thickness between the secondmain support part and the second auxiliary support part ranges from 0.45μm to 0.55 μm.
 3. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the color filtersubstrate further comprises a first film structure and a second filmstructure, the first film structure is in the display area and betweenthe substrate and the plurality of first support structures; the secondfilm structure is in the frame area and between the substrate and theplurality of second support structures; the first film structurecomprises a first black matrix and a first color resist layer, and thefirst black matrix and the first color resist layer are sequentiallystacked in a direction away from the substrate; the second filmstructure comprises a second black matrix and a second color resistlayer, and the second black matrix and the second color resist layer aresequentially stacked in the direction away from the substrate; and thefirst black matrix and the second black matrix are made of a samematerial and arranged in a same layer, and the first color resist layerand the second color resist layer are arranged in a same layer.
 4. Thedisplay panel of claim 3, wherein the first main support part and thefirst auxiliary support part are both arranged on a surface of the firstcolor resist layer away from the substrate; the first main support partis in contact with a first surface layer of the array substrate, and thefirst auxiliary support part is opposite to the first surface layer ofthe array substrate with the first gap therebetween; the second mainsupport part and the second auxiliary support part are both arranged ona surface of the second color resist layer away from the substrate; andthe second main support part is in contact with a second surface layerof the array substrate, and the second auxiliary support part isopposite to the second surface layer of the array substrate with thesecond gap therebetween.
 5. The display panel of claim 4, wherein thefirst black matrix and the second black matrix have a same thickness. 6.The display panel of claim 5, wherein a portion of the first surfacelayer in contact with the first main support part and a portion of thesecond surface layer in contact with the second main support part have asame height.
 7. The display panel of claim 6, wherein a differencebetween thicknesses of the first main support part and the second mainsupport part is equal to a difference between the thicknesses of thesecond color resist layer and the first color resist layer.
 8. Thedisplay panel of claim 7, wherein a difference between thicknesses ofthe first auxiliary support part and the second auxiliary support partis equal to the difference between the thicknesses of the second colorresist layer and the first color resist layer.
 9. The display panel ofclaim 5, wherein only a part of the second surface layers respectivelyin contact with the plurality of second main support parts has a heightgreater than a height of the first surface layer in contact with thefirst main support part.
 10. The display panel of claim 9, wherein thesecond main support part of at least one second support structure incontact with the part of the second surface layers has a thicknesssmaller than a thickness of the second main support part of other secondsupport structure in the frame area.
 11. The display panel of claim 9,wherein the second auxiliary support part of at least one second supportstructure in contact with the part of the second surface layers has athickness smaller than a thickness of the second auxiliary support partof other second support structure in the frame area.
 12. The displaypanel of claim 9, wherein there is a first difference in height betweenthe part of the second surface layers and the first surface layer; adifference in thickness between the first main support part and eachsecond main support part in contact with one of the part of the secondsurface layers is equal to a sum of a difference in thickness betweenthe second color resist layer and the first color resist layer and thefirst difference in height.
 13. The display panel of claim 11, wherein adifference in thickness between the first auxiliary support part andeach second auxiliary support part opposite to one of the part of thesecond surface layers is equal to the sum of the difference in thicknessbetween the second color resist layer and the first color resist layerand the first difference in height.
 14. The display panel of claim 4,wherein a height of the second surface layer is greater than a height ofthe first surface layer.
 15. The display panel of claim 14, whereinthere is a first difference in height between the second surface layerand the first surface layer; a difference in thickness between thesecond main support part and the first main support part is equal to asum of a difference in thickness between the second color resist layerand the first color resist layer and the first difference in height. 16.The display panel of claim 15, wherein a difference in thickness betweenthe second auxiliary support part and the first auxiliary support partis equal to the sum of the difference in thickness between the secondcolor resist layer and the first color resist layer and the firstdifference in height.
 17. The display panel of claim 4, wherein thefirst main support parts and the second main support parts have a samedistribution density; and/or the first auxiliary support parts and thesecond auxiliary support parts have a same distribution density.
 18. Thedisplay panel of claim 1, wherein the first gap is equal to the secondgap.
 19. A display device, comprising the display panel of claim
 1. 20.A manufacturing method of a display panel, wherein the display panelcomprises a display area and a frame area surrounding the display area,the manufacturing method comprises manufacturing an array substrate anda color filter substrate separately, and assembling the array substrateand the color filter substrate; wherein manufacturing the color filtersubstrate comprises: forming a plurality of first support structures anda plurality of second support structures on a side of a substrate closeto the array substrate; the plurality of first support structures arelocated in the display area, and the plurality of second supportstructures are located in the frame area; each of the plurality of firstsupport structures comprises a first main support part and a firstauxiliary support part, the first main support part is in contact withthe array substrate, and there is a first gap between the firstauxiliary support part and the array substrate; each of the plurality ofsecond support structures comprises a second main support part and asecond auxiliary support part, the second main support part is incontact with the array substrate, and there is a second gap between thesecond auxiliary support part and the array substrate; and a thicknessof the first auxiliary support part is greater than a thickness of thesecond auxiliary support part.